Final project: eagle success
By: Sierra Toledo
Lebron James
Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame as a result of numerous endorsement contracts. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America's most disliked and influential athletes. He has also been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials, and has hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night Live.
James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria Marie James, who raised LeBron on her own.[1][2] Growing up, life was often a struggle for LeBron and Gloria, who moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to find steady work.[3]Realizing he would be better off with a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed LeBron to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach, who introduced LeBron to basketball when LeBron was nine-years-old.[4]
As a youth, James played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars.[3] The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee.[5] Inseparable, they dubbed themselves the "Fab Four" and promised each other they would attend high school together.[6] In a move that stirred local controversy, they chose to attend St. Vincent – St. Mary High School, a largely white private school, instead of their local public school.[7][8]
In his freshman year, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for St. Vincent-St. Mary's varsity team.[9] The Fighting Irish finished the year 27–0, winning the Division III state title.[9] In his sophomore year, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while also contributing 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game.[10] For some home games during the season, St. Vincent-St. Mary played at the University of Akron's 5,492-seat capacity Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni, local fans, and college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play.[11][12] The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions.[9] For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first ever sophomore to do either.[13]
Prior to the start of James' junior year, he appeared in SLAM Magazine and was lauded as possibly "the best high school basketball player in America right now" by writer Ryan Jones.[14] During the season, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first ever underclass high school basketball player to do so.[15] With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game,[9] he was again named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team,[9] and became the first ever junior to win the boys' basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year Award.[16] St. Vincent-St. Mary finished the year with a 23–4 record, ending their season with a loss in the Division II championship game.[17] Following the loss, James seriously considered declaring for the 2002 NBA Draft, unsuccessfully petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules which required prospective players to have at least graduated from high school.[18] During this time, James used marijuana to help cope with stress resulting from the constant media attention he was receiving.[19][20][21]
In his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled around the country to play a number of nationally ranked teams, including a game against Oak Hill Academy that was nationally televised on ESPN2.[22] Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James' popularity, offered St. Vincent-St. Mary's games to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis throughout the season.[23] For the year, James averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game,[13] was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and USA Today All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year,[9][24] and Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.[9] He participated in three year-end high school basketball all-star games – the EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the 2003 McDonald's All-American Game -, losing his NCAA eligibility and making it official he would enter the 2003 NBA Draft.[25] According to Ryan Jones, James left high school as "the most hyped basketball player ever".[22]
During his senior year, James was the centerpiece of several controversies. For his 18th birthday, he accepted a Hummer H2 from his mother, who secured a loan for the vehicle utilizing LeBron's future earning power as a professional athlete.[26] This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) as their guidelines state that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance.[27] Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for his posing for pictures, officially violating OHSAA rules and resulting in him being stripped of his high school sports eligibility.[27] James appealed the ruling and his penalty was eventually dropped to a two game suspension, allowing him to play the remainder of the season. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season.[28]
Lebron James. (2013, June 6). Retrieved June 6, 2013, from Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebron_James
Questions:
1. How can you describe Lebron's life without mother and father?
2. Elaborate on how he changed his life rather than his fathers.
Interpretation:
1. Discuss the pros and cons of Lebron going to the nba without college.
2. What do you think affected Lebron the most growing up?
Evaluation:
1. What is your opinion of his choices he made?
2. What was the most surprising part/parts of this text?
Answers:
1. Lebrons life was very difficult without his other and father. He had struggles when he was young and basically made sure he did what made him happy to go down the right path. A young man living without his father would normally have a rough time in life and try to rebel butlebron didn't he decided to make his life right and make the right decisions with struggles but he did them right in the end.
2. His father was a felon and he never really had him in his life but he knew about all of the bad decisions he had made. I think Lebron was just trying to succeed in doing what made him happy. He exceeded with what he wanted to do. He made it to the NBA without going to college. Not very many players in the NBA have done that.
Interpretation:
1. The cons on Lebron not going to college would be that he passed up the college years in his life which to many people could be the years that they had the most fun with. The pros would be that he succeeded in his goals in life quicker and got money from it faster also.
2. The thing that affected Lebron the most growing up, I think would be not having his father because every child needs a father to look up to and he didn't hardly have that. He also didn't have a mother which would be very hard.
Evaluation:
1. My opinion of the choices he made would be that I look up to him for what he did and I want to do the same thing, I grew up basically the same way without both parents and I know how he feels. I believe Lebron is a very strong person and smart because not very many kids that go through what he did would be able to stay on the right path. The would most likely rebel and follow in the wrong footsteps but he didn't. He did it all himself.
2. The most surprising parts would be that he moved in with a football coach at 9 years old. Also it would be how every year he exceeded in averages for hips basketball career and for him going to the NBA before going to college.